Stock-loading chute



(No Model.) 2-Sheets-Shee1a 1.

J.G.PERGU-S0,N. STOCK LOADING-OHUTE. v No. 317,519. Patented Feb, 7, 18 88- minim 4 N. PETERS. Pwvum n hu. wuhin m, mu

PATENT OFFICE.

JARED o. FERGUSON,

or iHANovE'R, OHIO.

STOCK-LOADING CHUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,519, dated February '2, 1888 Application filed July 13, 1887. Serial No. 244,187. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JARED O. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hanover, in the county of Licking and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chutes for Loading and Unload: ing Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip: tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same My invention relates to improvements in stock-chutes for loading and unloading railway-cars, and is more particularly an improvement in that class of chutes which are'used to load and unload doubledeck cars used for transporting sheep, hogs, or other animals.

The particular construction and arrangement of the various parts of my said invention I will now proceed to point out and describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, portion of the wall being broken away, the floor being shown adjusted in position to communicate with the upper deck of a car, the gate being shown closed in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an end el'evation of the end of the chute adjacent to the railway-track. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section, the floor being shown in position to communicate with the lower deck of the car. Fig. 4 is aplan of the floor, and Figs. 5 and 6 details of parts of my said invention.

Referring to said drawings, A A represent any suitable number of posts, to which the boards forming the side walls of the chute are secured, the ends of the chute being left open.

B is a framing composed of suitable side and cross bars, B B

b b are trunnions on each side of the rear end of the framing, which are mounted in inclined slotted bearings a a, formed in the rear ends of the lower boards on each side of the chute. To each corner of the front ends of the framing chains O O are secured. Said chains pass up over pulleys O O in the forward end posts, A A, their other ends being secured to a horizontal shaft, 0 mounted in hearings in the lower part of the posts A A.

c is a vertical shaft mounted in bearings on the side of the chute, and provided on its upper end with an operatingwheel and a suitrollers b b.

able pawl and ratchet,c 1 On the lower end of said shaft is a bevel-pinion, c, which gears with a similar pinion, c, on one end of the shaft C. By turning the shaft 0 the shaft 0 is turned, and by means of the chains 0 Othe forward end of v the framing can be raised or lowered, as desired, for a purpose hereinafter set forth. Between the sidebars, B, of the framing I arrange rollers b b. ersare shown in the drawings. More may be used, if desired.

D is the floor of the chute, resting on the To each end of; the floor, or to anydesired point between the. ends, are secured chains E E, the ends of said chains being secured to a shaft, F, mounted in, bearings in the side bars, B B, of the framing B. Said chains are so arranged that when the shaft is revolved they will wind inopposite directions around the same, one chain being wound upon the shaft while the other is unwound,thus drawing the floor in or out, so as to communicate with or be removed from the car. On one end of the shaft F is a beveled pinion, f.

G is a vertical shaft mounted in bearings g on one side of the chute. .Said shaft is pro vided on'its upper end with an operatingwheel,'G', and a pawl and ratchet, g. Only one operating-wheel may be used, whichcan Keyed to and sliding on the lower part of the shaft G-is a bevel-pinion, H, which is held in engagement with the pinion f on theshaft F by means of an arm, h, secured to one of the sidebars, B. This arm holds the pinions f and H in engagement atiwhatever point the framing is adjusted. By turning the shaft G the shaft F is revolved in the desireddirec tion, thus moving the floor in or out, so as to place the same in communication with or remove it from the car. On the outer end of the framing B is a locking-latch, I, having bent ends 1', which are adapted to engage with notches a a on each of the front posts, A A. Projecting back from the center of the latch above the framing. isa shank, i, havingxa slotted end whichengages with a spring-bolt, K, secured to the under side of the floor D. When the flooris moved out, the spring-bolt, pressing against Only two roll-,

be shifted to either vertical shaft as needed.

theshanlr of the latch, holds its ends securely in engagement with the notches in the posts at the desirable adjustment. When the floor is drawn back from the car, the pressure of the spring-bolt is removed and the latch drawn out of the notches, thus releasing the same.

Secured to each side of the forward ends of the floor are side gates, L L, which form an extension of the walls of the chute and close the space between the ends of the walls and the car when the floor is in communication with the car. The upright bars L L of the side gates are pivotally secured to the floor, and the transverse slats Z Z are pivotally secured to said upright bars. The upper slats of the gates are provided with holes Z Z.

M M are spring locking-latches secured to the next lower slats. These latches engage with the holes Z Z and hold the gates in the position as adjusted. When the floor is in communication with the lower deckof a car, the upright arms of the gates are nearly vertical and about parallel with the sides of the car. When the floor is raised to the lower deck of a car, the spring-latches are released and the position of the gate shifted, so as to keep the upright arms parallel with the side of the car, and the latches then engage with the holes Z Z and hold the gates in this position.

N is the rear gate for closing the chute, hinged at its lower end to the rear end of the chute. When this gate is up, it closes the rear end of the chute.

n n are brackets on each side of the gate.

0 O are arms pivotally secured at one end to the brackets on n, their other ends being pivotally secured to the sides of the floor D. When the floor D is drawn back from the car by means of the arms 0 O, the gate N is raised and the chute closed. \Vhen the floor is moved out to communicate with the car, the gate N is lowered and forms a continuation of the rear portion of the floor, and the chute is then open.

When it is desired to load the lower deck of the car, the framing is lowered and the floor moved out to communicate with the car. As the floor is moved out, the rear gate lowers and opens the chute, and also forms a continuation of the floor. To load the upper deck, the floor is drawn back, thus closing the rear gate. The framing is then raised to the proper height and the floor moved out to communicate with the upper deck, the side gates being shifted to the proper position.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a chute for loading and unloading railway-cars, a floor-supporting framing hinged at its rear end to the lower rear portion of the chute, and mechanism, as described, for raising and lowering the free end of the framing,

in combination with a longitudinally-movable floor resting on the framing and mechanism for moving the floor, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as set forth.

2. In a chute for loading and unloading railway-cars, a floor-supporting framing hinged at its rear end to the lower rear portion of the chute, and mechanism, as described, for raising and loweringthe free end of the framing, a longitudinally-movable floor resting on the framing, and mechanism, as described, for operating the same, in combination with a rear gate hinged at its bottom to the lower part of the chute and connected by suitable arms with the movable floor, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as set forth, whereby when the floor is drawn within the chute the gate will be raised and close the chute, and when said floor is moved out to communicate with a car the gate will be lowered and form a continuation of the floor.

3. In a chute for loading and unloading railway-cars, the vertical adjustable framing B, having trunnions b b at its rear end, mounted in the inclined slotted bearings a a and pro vided with rollers b b, and the longitudinallymovable floor D, resting on the rollers b b, provided at its forward end with the adj ustable side gates, L L, in combination with the rear closing gate, N, hinged at it-DbOlZtOIIl to the lower rear part of the chute and having the brackets 11. n, and the arms 0 0, connecting the floor with the brackets n n, all constructed, arranged,andoperatingsubstantially as shown and described.

4. In a chute for loading and unloading railway-cars, the forward posts, A A, having notches a a, the vertically-adj ustable framing B,having trunnions b b at its rear end, mounted in the inclined slotted bearings a a, and the locking-latch I, having the bent ends i and shank i, in combination with the longitudinally-adjustable floor D, having on its under side the spring bolt K, engaging with the shank of the locking-latch I, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as shown and described.

5. In a chute for loading and unloading railway-cars, the vertically-adj ustable framing B, hinged at its rear end to the lower rear part of the chute and supporting the longitudinallymovable floor D,in combination with the chains 0 O, secured to the forward end of the framing and passing over the pulleys G G, and secured at their other ends to the horizontal shaft 0', having on one end the bevel-pinion c, and the vertical shaft 0, having on its lower end the bevel-pinion c, engaging with the pinion c, all arranged and operating substantially as shown and described.

6. In a chute for loading and unloading railway-cars, the vertically-adj ustable framing B, having trunnions b b at its rear end, mounted in the inclined slotted bearings a a, the shaft F, mounted in hearings in the framing and having on one end the bevel-pinion f, the vertical shaft G, having the locking pawl and ratchet g, and the bevel-pinion H, sliding and keyed on the shaft G and held in engagement with the pinion f by the arm h, secured to the framing, in combination with the longitudi- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in of said chains being secured to and winding in 5 opposite directions around the shaft F, all con- Witnesses:

structed, arranged,and operatingsilbstantially CHAS. H. DAVIS, as shown and described. CHAS. O. DOSOH.

many-adjustable floor D, having the chains E presence of two witnesses. E secured 'to its opposite ends, the other ends JARED Q FERGUSON 

